Apple goes on ‘iWatch’ trademarking spree – launch may be approaching

Recent reports suggested Apple’s “iWatch” might not launch until sometime next year, but the company’s recent trademarking spree suggests that its connected watch might still launch sometime later this year. The news emerged on Monday that Apple had filed to trademark iWatch in Japan, marking the second country in which Apple filed to protect the name, which is thought to be tied to its forthcoming iOS smartwatch. 9to5Mac now reports that Apple has filed to trademark iWatch in a number of additional countries including Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan and Turkey. The moves don’t necessarily assure us that a launch is imminent, but Apple is known as a company that goes out of its way in order to avoid tipping its hand too far in advance, so a 2013 launch seems likely at this point.